Father came to us in person on God's Day

Chung Hwan Kwak
February 1985

For all of us the beginning of 1985 was a fortunate time. Had Father not been able to come out of prison we would have felt an emptiness inside.

Father came to us in person on God's Day, but all the while his spirit was still in Danbury prison. We should therefore be more serious, receive his message more deeply in our hearts and live it more earnestly than ever before. True Parents are the root of our life and our tradition. Only when we are connected with this root can our lives be alert and energetic. Only then can our lives be linked to the heavenly tradition. We should think seriously about what he showed us during those four days.

From the time he came out of prison until the time he went back, the first thing that mattered to him was God's will; the second thing was God's will, and the third thing was also God's will. He held large meetings with leaders, and conveyed things that were touching his heart. He used the time only for public purpose. We cannot help but feel sorry for Mother and True Children. We should realize once again that all of us are indebted to True Parents' family.

He gave us "Creation and Building of the Fatherland" as this year's motto. Our fatherland is not supposed to be created and built through external powers, military powers, economic powers or the power of knowledge. It can be created and built only through God-centered love, service and sacrifice. When we realize that God wants to embrace all humankind beyond race, culture, and religion, we will come to know that in God's heart other denominations are our second denomination and that other religions are directly connected with our own religion. Whenever we feel this -- not with our brain but in our heart, or through our original nature -- then we can practice God- centered love. Father again asked us to love our neighbors, other denominations and other religions.

Think of sacrifice and service. Fallen people by nature dislike sacrifice unless strongly motivated. We cannot help but be grateful when we realize that sacrifice and love are indispensable conditions in humanity's indemnity course. In that sense, we are blessed people.

Who will set up the indemnity conditions True Parents need in order to save the world? Who else can God ask to do this except those who know the Principle and little by little are coming to know the heart of God and True Parents?

As we all know by experience, the process of indemnity, sacrifice and service is difficult to go through. But how precious is our joy after fulfilling this process!

Even though the Bible is not explicit about it., Jacob, Moses and innumerable saints won the victory over themselves through fierce internal battles. And when Moses was ready to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan, many Israelites could not even dream of Moses' incomprehensible idea. Many even thought of Moses as a murderer.

But Israel could not have started its journey to Canaan without God's support, and God could only work through his leaders here on earth.

Humankind should now return from Egypt -- the contemporary atheistic, immoral quagmire of today's society -- which is so far from God's will and the original Christian faith. We can now move to the theistic Canaan of true love centered on God.

We Unification Church members should do what True Parents are asking us to do at this time -- to visit ministers and show model faith and true missionary attitudes towards all Christians. Furthermore, we should educate those who are just joining our movement by our example of service and by the real practice of our faith, so that they can be leaders in the course of restoration to Canaan.

God longs for the day when all humanity reenters Canaan -- our fatherland.